17-Year-Old Scientist Engineers Tomatoes That Taste Like Beef

A Miami teen is hoping to provide crucial nutrients for people where meat is not readily available through the process of gene engineering. Here is a look at what this young scientist is developing and how it could help people in nutrition deserts.

Young Scientist Develops Genetically Engineered Tomato Plants

Gabriella Rothberg is genetically engineering tomato plants in hopes of making them taste like beef. The 17-year-old scientist is growing tomatoes that not only taste like meat, but also contain nutrients rich in iron. Rothberg is genetically engineering the tomatoes so that they produce the molecule known as heme. This iron-containing molecule is also what gives the tomatoes the meat-like taste.

Rothberg's project, Impossible Vines, could be a breakthrough in how people around the world access iron. Rothberg recently sat down with the Miami New Times to share the details of her experiment. According to Rothberg, the tomato plants are able to produce heme because they have been exposed to the genetic material through a bacterium known in scientific circles as Agrobacterium.

The major meat-less product producer Impossible Foods also leans on heme to make their plant-based meat alternatives. In addition to heme, Impossible Foods uses soy protein, yeast, sunflower and coconut oil, and binders to make their products taste like and appear like meat. Similarly, Beyond Meat crafts its plant-based products with red lentils, brown rice, beans, yellow peas, potato starch, beets, and avocado to mimic the taste and appearance of meat.

Those who want to learn more about Rothberg's experiment can check out her Instagram page. On this page, she shares the details of her tomato lab, demonstrating in a tour how the plants transform from sterile seeds to tomato vines. The Instagram account also explains how one of the plants “once began as a tissue-cultured explant back in June,” showing its progress over the last several weeks.

“From a tiny leaf on a petri dish, we grew stem cells, shoots, and finally roots,” she explains. “The plantlet we then transplanted into soil, slowly acclimating it to ambient humidity until it became an established plant.”

How the Genetically Engineered Tomato Mimics Beef

Rothberg said that the tomato tastes like a hamburger due to the presence of the heme. While meat-lovers might be excited about the prospect of a tomato that gives the same satisfaction as a juicy burger, the implications of this project extend well beyond a low-calorie and healthier alternative to red meat.

Rothberg told the Miami New Times that the tomatoes could potentially be engineered to provide enough absorbable iron to help people in places where meat is not as accessible. For example, pregnant women in third-world countries often do not have sufficient access to red meat and its iron-rich nutrients.

It is not a surprise to learn that this young girl is embarking on such a groundbreaking project. Rothberg comes from a family of scientists. Her father, Jonathan, received a National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2013 for his work on DNA sequencing technology. Rothberg's mother has worked as a physician and cancer researcher.

What is next for Rothberg and her project? She is currently working with University of Miami PhD candidate Maddison Marshall to advance the findings. The teen has also created a business plan and patent for her genetically engineered tomatoes. The patent now belongs to Impossible Vines, Inc., with Rothberg and her father listed as the inventors.

The Miami New Times reports that Rothberg wants to expand her findings to apply the same process in an effort to boost the natural production of lycopene in tomatoes. Lycopene has been shown to potentially decrease the risk of cancer.

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